United States Unemployment Rate

The unemployment rate in the United States was unchanged at 8.3 percent in February of 2012. From 1948 until 2010 the United States' Unemployment Rate averaged 5.70 percent reaching an historical high of 10.80 percent in November of 1982 and a record low of 2.50 percent in May of 1953. The labour force is defined as the number of people employed plus the number unemployed but seeking work. The nonlabour force includes those who are not looking for work, those who are institutionalised and those serving in the military. This page includes: United States Unemployment Rate chart, historical data and news.

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U.S. Economy Adds 227K Jobs in February, Jobless Rate at 8.3%
Published on 3/9/2012 1:39:06 PM  | By TradingEconomics.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

U.S. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 227,000 in February, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment rose in professional and businesses services, health care and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, and mining.

The number of unemployed persons, at 12.8 million, was essentially unchanged in February. The unemployment rate held at 8.3 percent, 0.8 percentage point below the August 2011 rate.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.7 percent), adult women (7.7 percent), teenagers (23.8 percent), whites (7.3 percent), blacks (14.1 percent), and Hispanics (10.7 percent) showed little or no change in February. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.3 percent, not seasonally adjusted.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was little changed at 5.4 million in February. These individuals accounted for 42.6 percent of the unemployed. (See table A-12.)

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 227,000 in February. Private-sector employment grew by 233,000, with job gains in professional and business services, health care and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, and mining.

Professional and business services added 82,000 jobs in February. Health care and social assistance employment rose by 61,000 over the month. Rmployment in leisure and hospitality increased by 44,000, with nearly all of the increase in food services and drinking places (+41,000). Manufacturing employment rose by 31,000 in February.

The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for December was revised from +203,000 to +223,000, and the change for January was revised from +243,000 to +284,000.